Friday, 31 August 2012

Or should that header read A Ramble
Around?As usual this is one of those
here and there posts that has no real beginning, middle or end.But at least I’ve remembered to put headers
in again like I said I would months ago.

Following

Oh No!I’ve just ticked the box to follow another blog.I went from Kay’s blog to one by a girl in
Ohio called Yaya.The first post of hers
that I read was just about an ordinary day but I loved the writing style and
ticked the dreaded Follow box.I am now following
115 blogs and websites.OK, about six of
these are my own (why on earth am I following myself??), another dozen or so
are family, then there about twenty or thirty that seem to have died but which
I leave on in case their owners ever resurrect them. That leaves around 65 to 70
that are active to a greater or lesser degree.Fortunately the ones that blog daily are few and far between and some of
these bloggers only post every few weeks or months.The problem is that they are all interesting
in their own ways.

They range from Baby Hugo’s sweet blog to Moannie’s
battle with cancer and even ‘Girlie Magazine’ which is exactly what it sounds
like – a regular posting of girlie pictures. But what pictures.Most of them are from forty to eighty years
ago or thereabouts but some are back to Victorian times and I find it hilarious
to see what provided titillation for the discerning gentleman in those days.

Garters and suspenders have never appealed to
me!(I don’t know what is in modern
Girlie Magazines but I suspect they are somewhat raunchier nowadays!).

While blogs like Girlie Magazine come and go
from my list some are there on a permanent basis and I like to think that the
writers have become real friends over the years.I wish there was an easy way to separate the
two categories out in Blog Reader so that when I come back from a break of some
sort I can catch up with my friends and ignore the others. I suppose I could
update my sidebar listings but that sounds like one of those jobs that will
always keep moving down my project list and never actually get tackled…

Broadband taking industrial action

I’m not sure if there is an American
equivalent term but over here industrial action can include a ‘strike’, a ‘work
to rule’ or a ‘go slow’ though only the first one is official (I think).Well, my Broadband is on a go slow in parts
of the house, including my study, and on strike in other parts, including Richard’s
room.It is a nuisance.I’m not expecting any sympathy or help I just
wanted to take this opportunity to moan…

Postcards

I’m still working my way through the cards
that came while I was on holiday.Heaven
knows when I’ll get them blogged onto my postcrossing blog/ In the meantime.
Here is one of my favourites…

Thanks Danielle.

It’s a BlueMoon

A rare "blue moon" occurs tonight
and Neil Armstrong's family has suggested anyone who sees it gives it a wink in
memory of him.

The phenomenon occurs when there is a second
full moon in one calendar month and we have already had a full moon this month
- on August 1.

Full Moon August 1st 2012

The next blue moon will not take place until
July 2015. The last "blue moon" was in March 2010.

It is uncommon because the full moon cycle is
29.5 days - hence the phrase "once in a blue moon" to signify a rare
event. It doesn't actually mean the moon will be blue although that does happen
occasionally when ash clouds from volcanoes colour the atmosphere.

Wednesday, 29 August 2012

Two hundred and seventy one.I think that’s about the number of ideas I
have for blog posts at the moment.But I
could be a few dozen out either way…

I haven’t got my photos edited yet. In fact, I
haven’t even downloaded the last couple of days of our holiday from the
camera.That’s how busy I’ve been.Yesterday the sun shone in the morning so
Son-who-watches-films and I got out into the garden and re-discovered the paths
and lowered a hedge or two so we could see over them.We cut the willow in the front garden so the
postman could get in without getting dripping leaves down his neck. And
Son-who-watches-films turned over his vegetable plot ready for more
planting.

We also disconnected the old washing machine
which died while Partner-who-loves-tea and I were away.It died in the middle of a wash so Son-w-w-f
was stuck trying to get his washing out. Eventually we managed to convince the
machine of the merits of moving on through the cycle and his socks emerged –
soaking wet but at least we’d got them back without having to use a tin-opener.Foolishly I then decided to try another wash
to see if it would behave. It has stuck on us before but a flick of the start
button has always moved it on until now.It took me another day to get the blasted thing to disgorge its contents
and when it finally did they were unwashed and soaking wet.A new machine is now on its way so we will
have to survive the next eight days on what clean clothes we have. I won’t mention – yet again – my foolish
attack on the Gods of Data Transfer and other technology back in January…

I have had the pleasurable job of looking at
all the postcards that arrived while I was away and sending thankyousto those
postcrossers and friends who had taken special care to send me lovely
cards.All cards are gratefully received
(and were acknowledged without me seeing them while I was away) but some are
particularly nice and deserve a second thank you. (My Spillchucker rejects the
idea of writing thank you in the plural because ‘yous’ is not a word.But then again trying to run the two words together
as ‘thankyous’ also got rejected.It’s
obviously an ungrateful Spillchucker!) .

Among the blog postings I want to do are a
couple of ones about Hebridean flowers, one of the beautiful beach at Arisaig,
a piece about sheep, a book review summary, a diatribe about the iniquities of Kenco
coffee packaging… Oh dear, there are so many. In the meantime I'll leave you with a few pictures from Annandale Water Service Station on the M74.

Partner-who-loves-tea and I are home.We had a super long journey back, taking five
nights and six days.We saw the sun a
couple of times – briefly. We saw wet stuff falling from the sky – a lot.Jo met a couple of midges at close quarters
and they left their mark. We drove down to Harris and got the ferry; travelled over
the Isle of Skye; then visited Plockton and Fort Augustus before driving along
the Road to the Isles; went through Glencoe and over Rannoch Moor (according to
the map – we couldn’t actually see anything in the rain and cloud); had a
double night stop at Inverarary; drove alongside Loch Lomond; then called at
Gretna Green before leaving Scotland.Once in England we spent a night in the Lake District and explored
Ambleside by night and day.We ate well
and too much!

Sizzling Salmon and a bridge of fresh Haddock.

We shopped –probably also too much; at least
in my case as I bought loads of postcards for sending to friends and fellow
postcrossers. We enjoyed each other’s company, taking this rare opportunity to
do so without the interference of Jo’s work or other commitments.All in all it was a great little holiday,
prefaced by a spell on Lewis (very long for me and all too short for Jo).

One of the highlights of the journey home was
undoubtedly meeting this wild female red deer at close quarters.

Another highlight was visiting the Museum at Auchindrain
where the buildings of a whole community have been conserved.

We saw the Hogwarts’ Express on the Glenfinnan
Viaduct.

And Jo got to sit on a beach in the sun for a while.

I refuse to make a list of jobs that I need to
do but one of the first ones will be to thank those people who sent me
postcards while I was away.Hopefully
all got a brief acknowledgement as Jo and Richard kept me informed of their
arrival but seeing the cards themselves there are a number that require a
special thank you. Some postcrossers put a lot of effort into sending cards
that are really appropriate to the recipient’s profile.

I got a lot of cards with books on and one or
two maps of which this was my favourite, especially as Laima had taken a lot of effort to explain some of the
pictures on it.

I don’t know what major events have been
happening in the outside blogging world while I’ve been travelling. I do know
from a quick glance at my dashboard that there are some interesting posts
awaiting my attention. And I know my friend Roz Russell has opened her new vintage store which is well worth a visit.

About Me and my Blog

Thanks for stopping by! Would you like a cup of tea or coffee? And please, sit for a spell. If you enjoy my posts, please feel free to follow me or subscribe to my blog. This is a word verification free, family friendly blog, so everything I share here is for all ages. I am a happily married man in my late sixties who lives on the Wirral peninsula, near Liverpool, in the UK.

I'm a blogger - and nowadays that seems to be my main occupation. Rambles from My Chair is my main blog. I’m a retired local government executive - now studying how to survive a neurological disorder that gives me various problems but, hopefully, a whole new outlook on life and an increased sense of humour and perspective. There is a saying in Sweden "man måste vara frisk för att orka vara sjuk" ~ "you have to be well to cope with being ill"....

I enjoy most forms of communication and postcards are a special favourite. I used to blog as Scriptor Senex which is Latin for Old Writer but now Google only lets me post as John Edwards.

“He’s not so old. He’s just the age that he is, that’s all.” (Gerald Hammond)